84 I'fiE entomologist's a^cokt). 



OchsenteimericTs lead up to the Tortricids, which open with the gentfs 

 Dichrnraivpha, whilst liiany of the other associations are highly sug- 

 gestive. To those who knoAV Die KlcinschmetferUnfje der Mark Branden- 

 hurti, we need only add that this is a worthy supplement, covering 

 another large district, whilst to those who are studying the geo- 

 graphical distribution of our European insects the volume is posi- 

 tively indispensable. It should be in the hands of all >vorking' lepi- 

 dopterists. 



Zcr Acriwodea-Fauna des AsiATiscHE?i RussLANDs, par N. 

 Zubowsky [Extrait de i'Annuaire du Musee Zoologique de I'Academie 

 Imperiale des Sciences du St. Petersbourg, 189S] , pp. 1-43 (pp. 68- 

 110), 8vo. St. Petersburg, 1898.— This is an important paper on this 

 extensive Orthopteran group, elucidating its distribution in Asiatic 

 Eussia, a large and little-known collecting ground. Herr Zubowsky 

 describes in Latin, writing generally in German. He enumerates 75 

 species, of which seven are new, with two new genera. Several old 

 species of Fischer de Waldheim and Eversmann are redescribed, for 

 example, Stenahothrxs: fisrheri, Ev., S. carbonarius, Ev., CTornphuceriis 

 rarie<jatus, Fisch. de W. (which he shows is the same as G. liro7ii, 

 Azam., w^hich latter name must therefore fall), Bryodema gehleri, 

 Fisch. de W. Of the large genus Stenhothrua, 21 species are included, 

 of which four are new. The new genus Parerucius, Krauss {Maxta- 

 cidae) is the same as (TomjiJionuti^tax, Br., a genus erected this year 

 in a work published a month earlier. The other new genus is Cono- 

 jihyma, close to Flatijpliwa. We observe that the author, unlike the 

 majority of European authors, follows Scudder in accepting Podumcij 

 as prior to Fezutettix. It is an extremely interesting paper and very 

 useful.— M.B. 



Marvels of Ant Life, by W. F. Kirby, F.L.S. [Published by 

 S.W. Partridge & Co., 8 & 9, Paternoster Row, London. Price Is. 6d.] — 

 This is one of the most interesting little books on ants that we have 

 read, and although the author says it " does not profess to be a scien- 

 tific book," one can safely say that no one could buy a better work 

 than this to obtain a general knowledge of the structure and habits of 

 ants as a preliminary to a really scientific study of these insects. The 

 book is divided into 16 chapters, each of which deals with some par- 

 ticular phase of ant life or habits : " Conditions of ant life," " The 

 economy of an ant's nest," "Ants as architects," "Ants as agricul- 

 turists," &c. We observe in the chapter "Ants injurious to man," 

 that '• The foraging ants . . . sometimes devour drunkards." On the 

 whole we should say that this part of the chapter should have been 

 transferred to the preceding one — " Ants beneficial to man." The 

 final chapter consists of a Bibliography, and includes the titles of the 

 most important books and papers that have been written on ants. 

 Whilst as an Appendix, a list of the ants mentioned in the book, with 

 short notes of each species, is exceedingly useful. Altogether a most 

 useful, well-written, and intelligently thought-out, little book, which is 

 just popular enough to lead people who are not specialists on to the 

 end, just scientific enough to interest all those who have a special 

 knowledge, and to ensure that Mr. Kirby 's intimate acquaintance with 

 the literature of his subject, will give them some details that they have 

 overlooked or almost forgotten- 



